Premier League shares Arsenal photo – and rival supporters waste no time in reacting.

Arsenal have once again become the butt of rival fans’ jokes after a Premier League social media post was hijacked to mock their recent history of finishing second. The Gunners have ended the last three seasons as runners-up—twice behind Manchester City and once behind Liverpool—earning them the unwanted tag of “nearly-men.”

As part of its season countdown, the Premier League’s India account posted an image of Arsenal’s No.2, William Saliba, alongside the caption “The wait is nearly over.” While meant to signal two days until kick-off, opposition supporters turned it into a dig at Arsenal’s tendency to come second. Comments included “Arsenal days to go,” “India understood the assignment,” and “Even the admin knows they’re destined to be second for life.”

Some Gunners fans pushed back, noting they still finished above most of the league, but the banter continued. On the main Premier League account, Newcastle’s £55m signing Anthony Elanga was used for the same “two days to go” message.

Mikel Arteta is determined to ensure that by this time next year, the jokes have stopped. After spending £195m on new signings, he says Arsenal have both the quality and depth to go one better this season. Writing in his programme notes before a recent Villarreal friendly, Arteta highlighted the need for high internal standards, belief, and focus on daily improvement: “We’ve been very close, but achieving our goals will come down to the demands we set for ourselves every day.”